Range drive



Patented Dec. 25, 1928.

UNITED STAT-13S PATENTAOFFICE.

JAMES W.' COIR EY, GLEV ELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RELIANCE ELEC- TRIO & ENGINEERING CO1; F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A-CORIPORATION OF OHIO.

RANGE DRIVE.

Application filed October 24, 1925.. Serial No. 64,585.

Where a succession of machines is required for handling material, it hasbeen fundamentally customary to provide a drive for each machine from a common source of power and 5 individually regulate the speed of each by hand or by automatic mechanical control. For instance, in the finishing of cotton cloth, the usual procedure after bleaching is to run the cloth in a continuous web through a water mangle, a cylinder drier, a Tommy'Dodd for applying a paste or starch, then through another cylinder drier and a tenter. These respective machines are customarily arranged in a progressive series and a common line shaft supplies power to each. A ditficulty comes in however from the fact that with the varying condition of the cloth, shrinkage in some stages and stretching in others, the rate.

of feed as presented to the successive machines varies too widely, and if the same rate ,of

drive for all-the machines be attempted. the

cloth piles up before some machines and at others runs so tautly as to be pulled apart. To meet this, the drive for each machine was taken off the line shaft through cone-pulleys or expansion pulleys, these being kept regulated by hand control for each machine as necessary. A further advancement in the art has involved the equipment of each section of the succession or range of machines with an electric drive motor, all motors running at constant speed, and to regulate the speed for each section, a cone-pulley and belt variator has been arranged between each motor and its section, the variator being operated by a mechanicalconnection from a bar or idler roll running on the cloth just in advance of the section. On accountof the steam and wet conditions of such plants, such belt and cone regulator is prone to give trouble, however. More recently an all electric drive has been proposed, using adjustable speed direct current series motors, each motor being controlled by a rheostat moved by an idler simi- '45 lar to that in the foregoing mechanical variator. It was found however that e ual movements'of the rheostat give very d1 erent regulatory effects when operating near top speed and'at lower speeds. Also wherea low threading speed was wanted, this necessitated armature control and a serious difficulty entered, as the load on each motor was not a fixed percentage of its horse power, "but a factor that varied from time to time on each machine and on each particular cloth treated, and

this meant a prodigious amount of resistance changing. Furthermore, there was a difliculty from too great aspeed drop from no load to full load on such motors.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, cons1sts of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexeddrawings and the following descriptlonsetting forth in detail one construction exemplifying my invention, such disclosed construction constituting, however, but one of various applications of the principle of my invention. 7

In said annexed drawingsF- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a range'with electric drivepFig. 2 is a wiring diagram of the electric circuits; and, Fig. 3 is a schematic view of .a range showing the control means for the circuits.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 3, a combination of treating elements or machines may consist of a water mangle W, a drier D a device for applying paste or starch or thelike S, a second drier D and a tenter T and a winder or reel R. Desirably also, a cooling cylinder F and an atomizer A may be interposed between the tenter and winder. Arranged to drive the first section comprising the water mangle W and first drier D is an electric motor 1 and for the drive of the sec-- ond section comprising the paste applier S and the second drier D is a similar motor 2 while a third motor 3 drives the last section including the tenter, etc. Each of these motors has its armature l 'connected in paral- 9 lel on a line supplied from the armature 4 of a direct current generator 4:. A suitable switch 5 is arranged for opening and closing.

this circuit,'preferably the switch being actuable by hand, also by electromagnetic means,

- remote control being possible through make and break switches 6, 7 and 8 located conveniently to the'respective motors 1, 2 and 3.

This allows of opening or closing such circuit either manually at the main station point at 5 as desired or from any one of the respective motor stations. each of the motors is a circuit breaker i) of any desired type. The fields of the aforesaid motors are connected in parallel on a line su Interposed in the circuit to H turn being connected to dancer rolls or the,

like 21, 22 and 23 respectively, which are arranged to run idly upon the web of cloth C which is travelling over the guide rolls 24 and through the range. It will be noticed that J these dancerrolls 21, 22 and 23 are in each instance placed just in advance of the succeeding section and by virtue of the movement of such roll as may occur with the varying conditions of stretch or shrinkage in the' web, each such roll will operate its rheostat.

Equivalent means for actuating the rheostat from the dancer roll may of course be employed, for instance, a cord from the (la n-"er running over a roller which carries the rheo stat contacts, etc.

Any suitable means for driving the generator 4 and exciter generator 10 may be employed, but in view of the fact that mills generally are wired for alternating current, I ordinarily prefer to arrange an alternat ng current motor as indicated at 25 for the dr ve of these generators, conveniently these belng combined on the order of a motor generator set.

The manner of operation of the system will be clear. As will be seen, when current is supplied from the armature 4. of the generator 4, all of the motorsin the range will take their main operating characteristic therefrom and as the rheostat 11 is manipulated to control the field of the generator, all of the motors will correspondingly respond to the common current condition supplied. The entire line may be thrown out by the main switch 5, hand operated directly, or by operation from the remote individual stations 6, 7 or 8 at the motors. In this manner, in case of accident to any particular motor, a shut-' down can be brought about effecting the whole plant, or an overload on anyindividual motor can be taken care of by its breaker switch 9. I prefer to arrange these breaker switches-9 also in interlocking relation. By

reason of the separate current supply to the fields of the respective motors, it will be noticed further that these are individually controlled by the respective field rheostats 12, 13 and 14 which are operated by their respective dancer rolls as governed by the tension on the web at a given point. Thus as the varying conditions determine, any given dancer roll will correspondingly gauge the state of its rheostat and thereby weaken or strengthen the field of the corresponding motor to effect individual speed variations While I have illustrated the invention as applied to a cloth finishing range, it will be understood that in its general features, it is also'applicable to paper machinery and certain metal working machines, in fact any location where it is desired to control the operation of machine units by a condition of the material which is feeding into such unit.

Other forms may be employed embodying the features of my'invention instead of the one here explained, change being made in the form or construction, provided the elements stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated elements be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In apparatus for treating a continuous web of material, the combination of successive treating sections, a dancer roll engaging the web. of material in advance of each such treating section, a separate electric motor for driving each treating section, separate rheostat means controlled by each said dancer roll and connected in series with the field of the following section drive motor, a direct current generator for supplying the armatures of said motors in parallel, an overload cut-out for each motor, a main switch between said generator and said armatures, means convenient to each motor for controlling said switch, a direct current exciter generator for supplying the fields of said motors and said generator, rheostat means connected in series with the field of said generator, and means for driving said generator and said exciter generator.

2. In apparatus for treating a continuous web of material, the combination of successive treating sections, a separate electric motor for driving each treating section, separate rheostat means connected in series with the field of each motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of the web of material in advance of each treating section, a generator for-supplying the armatures of said motors in parallel, an overload cut-out for each motor, a main switch between said generator and said armature, secondary means for controlling said switch convenient Y means convenient to eachmotor for controldriving each treating section, separate rheo ling said switch, an exciter generator for supplying the fields of said motors and said generators, rheostat means connected in" series with the field of said generator, and means sfor driving said generator and said exciter generator. H

4. In apparatus for treating a continuous web of material, a separate electriomotor for stat means connected in series with the field of each motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of the web of material in advance of each treating section, a generator for supplying the armatures of said motors, means for making and breaking a circuit to such armatures, an exciter generator for supplying the fields of said motors and said generators, rheostat means connected in series with the field of said generator, and means for driving said generator and said exciter generator.

5. In apparatus for treating a, continuous web of material. the combination of successive treating sections, a separate electric motor for driving each treating section, separate rheostat means connected in series with the field of each motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of the web of material in advance of ach treating section, a generator for supplying the armatures. of said motors, a generator for supplying. the fields of said motors and said generator,

rheostat'means connected inseries with the field of said generator, and means-for driving said generator and said exciter generator.

6. In apparatus for treating a continuous web of material, the combination of successive treating sections, a separate electric motor for driving each treating section, separate'rheostat means connected in series with the field of each motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of the weliof the material in advance of each treating section, a generatgr for sup-plying the annatures of said motors, means for making and breaking the circuits to such armatures, an exciter gen erator for supplying the fields of said motors and said generator, means for controlling the field of said generator, and means for driving said generator and said exciter.

7. In apparatus fortreating a continuous web of material, the comblnatlon of successive treating sections, a separate electric motor for driving each treating section, separate rheostat means connected in series with the field of each motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of the web of material in advance of each treating section, a Y

' generator for supplying said motors, an ,ex-

citer generator for supplying the fields of said motors and generator, and means'for controlling the field of said generator.

8. In apparatus of the character described, 7

generator for supplying the fields of said motors and said generator, rheostatineans connected in series with the field of said generator, and means for driving said generator and said exciter.

9. In apparatus of the character described,

the combination of successive treating sections, a separate electric motor for driving each treating section, separate rheostat means connected in series with the field of each motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of the material approaching each treating section, a direct current generator for supplying said motors, and an additional generator for supplying the fields of said motors and said, generator.

10. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a driven machine,

an electric motor for driving such machine, rheostat means in series with the field of said motor and operated by means responsive to the tension of material to be treated by said machine, a generator for supplying said motor, an additional source of current for supplying the field ofsaid motor, and a common -means for controlling the field of said generator and said motor.

11. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a driven machine,

an electric motor for driving such machine,

motor and operated by means responsive to the tension. of material to be treated by said machine, a source of current for supplying- JAMES w. COREY.)

rheostat means in series with the field of said day of October, 

